1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device and a game device, particularly to an image processing device to perform a program for a game device for business or family use.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, many simulated games are provided as game programs for game devices, particularly for video game apparatuses. The object of these simulated games is to compete with others or a computer device, which is the main body of processing of the game device, over the dominance of the game, while experiencing actions such as fighting between characters appearing in the game, car racing competitions, sport contests, etc. Particularly in a simulated game of a sport contest using a ball, the user operates a plurality of keys equipped with a controller for providing the main game body with operation signals and controls the behaviors of a character such as a human character who appears in the game.
For example, in a tennis game for performing tennis matches, a competitor is selected, and the movements or behaviors of the selected player are controlled by operating the keys in the controller device which is equipped in the game body. For example, the movements of the player are controlled so that the player serves a tennis ball or hits the ball which a competitor hits. Therefore, the movements of the tennis ball depend on the key operation at the controller which performs the movements and behaviors of swinging a racket of the player selected by the user.
When the timing for swinging the tennis racket is shifted, in particular, there is a problem that the player can not hit the ball accurately with the racket so the player misses the ball and the direction of the ball is shifted from the intended direction.
In this example, the structure of the data of the tennis game is a three dimensional data structure. In the screen seen from a virtual camera, one player is located closer to the virtual camera and the other player is located farther away from the virtual camera, therefore, the user can recognize the perspective of the images on the screen.
Moreover, as it is required to change sides during a tennis match, the player operated by the user alternates the side between the side closer to the virtual camera to the side farther away from the virtual camera. Because of this, it is difficult for the player to understand the timing for swinging the tennis racket, therefore, it can be predicted that the timing for hitting the ball with the racket may not be optimal, in other words, the impact is shifted. Normally, it is not easy to hit the ball which is a small flying body by moving the player character accurately, in a screen where a model in a three dimensional space is converted into a picture of two dimensions.
In a tennis game, for example, the conventional inventions amend the timing of the player""s swing. However, it can be against the user""s desire to change the timing of its swing.
Next, other problems of the conventional technology are explained. In the conventional inventions, the image processing displays a model which is half transparent, such as a texture, by providing the image data with the data of transparency. In this image processing as a conventional example, the background can be seen through characters by providing the models, such as characters etc., with the data of half transparency. This data of half transparency is called xcex1, and the processing of half transparency becomes possible by setting the value of the xcex1 in the range from 0 to 1 properly.
This half transparency processing has been broadly used in the field of Computer Graphics (CG) in the case of performing representations of the screen, and as an example of applying such processing, there is a case of displaying a shadow to a character. Regarding this processing, there was a case when the value of xcex1 is given to the polygon model of a shadow and the shadow is displayed as half transparent on the land of the background. xcex1 is set for the data of each vertex data of a polygon constituting the shadow, and the value xcex1 of the picture element parts except the vertexes is calculated by interpolation.
In this conventional example, a part where the shadow models overlap, the value xcex1 of the shadows is duplicated and so that part is displayed darkly, in short, that part is displayed at lower transparency than other parts. For example, in the case of a human body, the shadow part of joints, where the shadow polygon corresponding to a brachial arm and the shadow polygon corresponding to a lower arm overlap, is displayed as a dark shadow. In the real world, it is unnatural if the joint part has a darker shadow than the other parts, therefore, the user may feel the model is inadequate when such a problem is ignored in the image processing device.
Furthermore, in a three dimensional game, shadows are generated by the lights from floodlights corresponding to the character of the player. By the way, there is a case when such shadows overlap one another when a plurality of floodlights exist in different positions. Here, there has to be a difference between the darkness of the shadow generated by the quantity of light of one floodlight and the darkness of the shadow generated by the quantity of light of two floodlights, however, there is no improvements made regarding such point in the conventional game devices. If the shadow is not realistic, there will be a difference between a real shadow and the shadow in the game, and the interest of the user to the game will be lost.
The present invention provides a system in which a game using a game device can be developed smoothly by assisting the user""s operation of the game device. The present invention also provides a game device for hitting or hitting back an object such as a ball by a series of movements in a short period such as swinging a racket or a bat, wherein the series of movements are preferably matched to the behaviors of an object such as a ball by accurately assisting or helping the user""s operation without impairing the user""s will.
The present invention displays a highly realistic representation of the game image. The present invention also provides a game device which allows processing such that the display of shadows of objects on the game screen complies with the display of real shadows.
The present invention comprises an image processing means wherein, when a first object and a second object move in a game space, the movement of the first object is controlled by inputting operations at an operation member, and if there is an input of operations at the operation member to match the movement timings of both objects, image processing is performed in order to make the moving motion of the first object influence the movement of the second object, and controlling means for controlling the speed of the moving motion of the first object in accordance with the operation timing of the first object corresponding to the second object.
Another aspect of the present invention is explained as follows. A controlling means is structured such that when the timing is shifted from an appropriate timing, the controlling means amends the moving motion according to the extent of this shift. The controlling means performs a low speed motion if the timing is earlier than the appropriate timing, and perform a high speed motion if the timing is later than the appropriate timing, so that the moving timings of the first object and the second object match as a result. The second object is an object which flies and the first object is a tool to collide with the second object, and the described image processing device is used for a game device for ball games such as baseball games, tennis games, soccer games, basketball games, etc.
According to the present invention, these features can be achieved not by controlling the timing of beginning a movement of an object itself, but by giving precedence to controlling the movement motion of the object.
The image processing device comprises an image processing device comprising a character model and a polygon model for applying a transparency set to this character model, wherein the polygon model is applied to the character model and when applying the character model to this polygon model, the image processing of half transparency is performed for the character model based on the transparency data. Therefore, for example, even if the shadows overlap, the half transparency processing is performed by the transparency data which is set in the polygon model, therefore, it is possible to avoid generating an image which has incompatibility such that the part where the shadows overlap is displayed at a lower transparency than the other area.
One embodiment of the present invention includes an image processing device comprising an image processing means for performing an image processing movement which generates a shadow of the motion character moving on the display screen, when lights are irradiated to the motion character by a plurality of light sources, and this image processing device further comprises a shadow model which has color information and the transparency of 100% designated corresponding to each of the light sources, a gradation table wherein each of the shadow models overlap, each make a top layer and the transparency of the shadow models is set, a filter polygon which is overlapped under the graduation table except the match of the shadow model and the graduation table which is at the bottom most layer, has no color information but the transparency of 0% designated.
One shadow model is not influenced by the transparency designated to more than two gradation tables because of the function of the filter polygon, therefore, if more than two shadows overlap by the light of more than two light sources, it is possible to generate realistic shadows such that the shadows are dark where they overlap and the other independent area of the shadows are faint.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.